I'm kind of a sucker for classic compilation games. Wether it be the
arcade classic collections from Midway or Namco, or an offering of
classic console games such as the Sega Smash Pack, I always enjoy going
back to the classics, especially in today's gaming climate. The thing
about compilation packs is that you pretty much know what you should
expect in terms of graphics, sound and gameplay. This is why you want
the game in the first place, to relive those memories, or catch up on
what you may have missed. So then the key to a really good classic game
collection lies in two areas: how good the emulation is and how good
the offerings have been made available. You can have all the greatest
hits, and each game can be a poor translation due to poor emulation
work. But then you can have a really great translation and not offer
the best games in the collection. Sonic Mega Collection manages to do
both pretty well. It has a fairly solid lineup of games, and is
emulated to near-perfection. But will this interest you? Read on.

Sonic Mega Collection cuts to the chase. No complicated plots or
storylines, just a collection of every Sonic game released on the
Genesis. You get Sonic 1, 2, and 3, Sonic & Knuckles, Sonic 3-D
Blast, Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine, Sonic Spinball and some extra
unlockables such as Flicky and Ristar. Every game in this collection
has been emulated very well. In fact, it's a little bit better than it
was on the Genesis thanks to a slight boost in resolution. But nothing,
and I mean NOTHING has been changed in these games. Every stage is
there, as it was in the past. Every item is in the same place. Even the
slowdown still exists (couldn't that be fixed?). Keeping everything in
place is both a good and bad thing. Sega hasn't screwed around with
what made these games great, but on the other hand, they didn't take
the extra step to keep track of your best scores, or save your progress
in every game, not just in Sonic 3. Why can a free emulator that can be
used on your computer be able to save exactly where you are in the game
(a saved state), but nothing like this could be implemented in this
collection.

Each game plays as well as it did back in the 90's. Of course, now
you're using a Gamecube controller instead of a Genesis pad. But using
the Gamecube controller is not all bad. You can use the stick, and it
actually feels pretty natural. Most Sonic games just use one button,
and the large A-button does the trick. Sonic Spinball feels different,
since all three buttons were used, and some may not like that scheme. I
really don't care, since I mapped the A button to flip both flippers.
That's how I used to play Sonic Spinball, I never bothered using one
flipper individually. Sonic 3-D blast also feels a bit strange on the
GC controller, since I expect to jump when I press A. Instead, I roll
around. Again, just change the default controls, and you're good to go.

The graphics are a tough thing to judge for a game like this. If the
score was based upon emulation, it would score almost perfectly. But
really, that's not fair to the other games, since they are two worlds
apart. Also, you can make the argument that the graphics here are much
more primitive than say, Metroid Prime or even Sonic Adventure 2. So,
you have to compromise with a score that acknowledges the great
emulation with the dated material. So, for the sake of argument, the
emulation is done very well, and the game looks as it should. That's
what's important for a game like this.

The sound is no different from the graphics. Emulated very well, but
dated compared to modern releases. It should be noted that Sega did an
excellent job emulating the sound, especially after the horrible sound
emulation in the Sega Smash Pack for the Dreamcast. If those had doubts
about getting this game due to Sega's previous mistake in emulation,
don't fret or hesitate about getting this game. They did a damn fine
job.

There's not a whole lot more to say about SMC. It's a classic
compilation that gives you most of what you want from Sega's cash cow.
But I, as well as many, would have liked to have seen Sonic CD in here.
Many never had the chance to play the game, and it would have made a
wonderful addition to the collection. Also, seeing this is a Sonic Team
game, why not include a version of Chu Chu Rocket as a bonus
unlockable? Flicky and Ristar are decent unlockables, but I think we
could have been given so much more. As it is, SMC is still a lot of
game. You have 5 complete Sonic adventures to go through, as well as a
pinball and a puzzle game. Seeing how Sonic Adventure DX missed the
mark, it's nice to see where Sega went right with the game. I'm hoping
Nintendo will follow suit and give us a huge collection of their
classics from the past 20 years.

.

.

Published
By :SEGA

Developed
By: SONIC
TEAM

Year Published :
2002

Players :
1-2

ESRB Rating:
EVERYONE

OVERALL
SCORE8.0

VISUALS

8.0

AUDIO

8.0

GAMEPLAY

8.2

REPLAY
VALUE

7.8

INNOVATION

7.5

Enough Sonic to give you your fix, but it doesn't include every Sonic
game.

Sega
Smash Pack

Sega Classics Collection

Sonic Gems Collection

Capcom
Classics Collection Vol. 1

2003-2006 SPM
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